Christoph Mäder will relinquish the presidency after six years in office at Economiesuisse, the association announced on Friday. At its meeting on February 12, the executive committee reviewed the proposal put forward by the appointed search committee and unanimously recommends to the board that Silvan Wildhaber be elected as the new president. The election will take place at the next board meeting in March, with the new president set to assume office in mid-September at the annual «Day of the Economy» event.

Mäder clearly supports the nomination: «I am very pleased about the nomination of Silvan Wildhaber as my successor. He has the best qualifications to successfully lead and further develop Economiesuisse in the coming years.»

Textile Entrepreneur to Lead the Association

With Wildhaber, a prominent business figure will take over the helm of the umbrella organization. The 48-year-old has been CEO of the St. Gallen-based textile company Filtex since 2012 and Chairman of the Board of its parent company, Emil Anderegg. The family-owned business, founded in 1919, exports exclusive textiles and embroidery worldwide.

Wildhaber studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and worked at the former Credit Suisse before joining the family SME in 2006. He lives in Zurich, is married, and has two children.

Winning Hearts and Minds in Switzerland

Wildhaber is highly familiar with economic policy matters: since 2014, he has served on the board of Economiesuisse as a representative of Swiss Textiles. In 2021, he was also elected to the board of the Swiss Employers’ Association.

«I am extremely pleased by the confidence that the executive committee of Economiesuisse has placed in me,» Wildhaber said, commenting on his nomination. Looking ahead to his future role, he added: «I want to clearly communicate the political concerns of Swiss companies and their employees and win the hearts and minds of people in Switzerland.» He continued: «As an entrepreneur, I know that we can only move forward together. It is therefore important to me to build bridges and help advance Switzerland collectively.»